Shattered Promises 1: Things Fall Apart
by JulieM
Summary: Harm and Mac travel to Africa to put an old case to bed and have a few adventures along the way. COMPLETE!
1. Chapter 1

Subject: FF: Shattered Promises: Things Fall Apart.

From JulieM: Adventure, little bit of Harm/Mac angst.

Rating: T.

Spoilers: Silent Service. Set immediately after this episode.

Author's note: This piece is part of a series. It consists of twelve parts, so far:

1. Things Fall Apart.

2. Picking Up The Pieces.

3(a & b.) Starting Over.

4. Getting It Right.

5. Getting To Know You.

6. Happy Endings.

7. Sleepless Nights

8. See You In My Dreams.

9. Scattered Photographs

10. Dreams Really Do Come True.

11. Celebrations.

12. Turning Full Circle.

Yes, I know you've probably seen this on before…However, due to environmental incidents at the time, I thought it wise not to post later parts to the series. And since I wasn't doing that, it didn't seem wise to keep this part up, so I took it down for a time. I'm now going to put SP 1 up in its entirety and will resume posting daily installments of subsequent parts of the series.

Disclaimer: No copyright infringement is intended by this series, which is being done solely for recreational purposes. Jag and all other characters are the property of Don P. Bellisario et al.

Shattered Promises 1: Things Fall Apart.

Part 1

0435 local

Maroua,

Cameroon.

In the darkened room, the four men sat around the table, one dealing out the cards for the next game. The man on the opposite side of the table spoke up, directing his question to the man to his right.

"Did you contact the buyer?"

"Yeah, they should arrive tomorrow to collect the goods."

At that moment, all four men jumped from their seat in a single, reflexive movement, as the door was kicked in and a Navy SWAT team rushed into the room. All four men were quickly forced onto the concrete floor face down, with their hands behind their heads.

The leading member of the SWAT team turned to face them then proceeded, "We have reason to believe that you are illegally selling nuclear weapons to a resident of the United States."

As he spoke, the remaining team members proceeded to sweep through the house, checking all of the rooms, but finally coming up empty handed.

One team member was just about to inform the team leader of their predicament when, while stepping across a hand woven rug, he noticed a metal ring poking out from the rug's edge. After moving the rug, which revealed a trap door, his team members helped him to move the door, revealing a darkened basement pit. Shining his torch into its dark recesses, he realized that 'the goods' these dealers had been talking about were most definitely not nuclear weapons.

"Ummm, Sir…I think you may want to take a look at this," he managed to stammer to his superior officer.

"Are the weapons down there, Tanner?" The man responded.

"Not exactly, Sir," Tanner replied, still reeling from the inset of shock.

"What do you mean 'not exac…"

He did not manage to finish his sentence, after crossing the room and looking down into the basement. His gaze fell upon the small figure, which lay motionless, sprawled out on the wet dirt floor of the basement below.

"Good God, Tanner," the man uttered quietly.

0800 Zulu

JAG Headquarters

Churchfalls, Virginia.

Harm and Mac walked into JAG Headquarters for the first time in two weeks, having just closed their case aboard the USS Watertown. They headed straight for the Admiral's office, to receive their new cases.

"Morning Ma'am, Sir," Tiner greeted them, "Boy, have you two missed an amazing couple of weeks!"

He was not able to elaborate any further, cut off at that moment, as the Admiral buzzed through on the intercom.

"Tiner, have Commander Rabb and Major MacKenzie arrived yet?"

"Uh, they're right here, Sir," Tiner answered.

"Send them straight in," The Admiral ordered, his voice crisp and deadly serious.

"Yes, Sir," Tiner responded, shooting Harm and Mac an apologetic glance. As they began to enter the Admiral's inner office, they shot each other an 'uh-oh!' look. Something told them that he was not about to offer them a vacation! They walked in and were about to snap to attention when the Admiral interrupted, "At ease, please follow me straight through to the conference room."

As they followed him, Harm thought to himself, "Straight to business, gee, some things never change."

They took their seats around the conference room table and the Admiral turned the lights off, shut the blinds and proceeded with his briefing. Switching on the TV and video set, he began,

"I'm sure that both of you have no doubt caught up on the gossip going around the bullpen surrounding the new developments in the Carter abduction, despite being stuck on a submarine for the past two weeks.

At their blank looks, he elaborated,

"On February 12th, 1986, a toddler was abducted from a shopping center in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The Mother of the child, the wife of Admiral Adam Carter was there shopping with the couple's two year old daughter, Catherine. The little girl was taken from the child seat of the shopping cart, while Mrs. Carter had her back turned. When the police arrived twenty minutes later, the child's shoe was found on the windscreen of the family car."

"I remember reading about the case in the newspaper at the time. Has the case really dragged on this long, Sir?" Harm asked.

The Admiral just nodded and Mac tried to remember that point in her life, not really wanting to go back to it. Harm glanced over at her, suddenly and Mac realized that she had unconsciously uttered an audible sigh. However, their attention was checked as the Admiral played the tape of an old news report on the TV. The camera focused on an abandoned juice box on the floor of the empty supermarket. A photo of a young child with an adorable smile and short, blond ringlets was flashed on the screen. The report continued, "Two year old Catherine Carter was taken from a shopping cart in this Grand Rapids supermarket. Our sources say that security cameras were malfunctioning at the time of the abduction."

At this, the camera focused on a tiny pink shoe, which was being put into a clear plastic evidence bag by a local police officer. Both Harm and Mac found it hard to ignore the stinging pain in their hearts as they then watched a police conference, the detective superintendent showing the press reporters a tiny pink dress and small pink shoes with white frilly socks like those little Catherine was wearing at the time of the abduction. But Harm and Mac pulled themselves together as the Admiral switched on the lights and continued,

"Catherine Carter was not found within the next few years, despite the military's extensive investigation into recovering the child. Military checkpoints were put up on all major roads leaving the state and all airports were put on special alert, but nothing turned up. The military decided that the child must have either been kept in the state or smuggled out, most likely on a private plane or other mode of transport. Several times in the following years, the Admiral and his wife were asked to identify human remains found within the state. However, tests later proved that none of these remains were those of Catherine.

Fingerprints were successfully taken from the juice box that the child dropped at the scene and were compared to those of children in every nursery and childcare center in Michigan. Every single one turned up negative. Admiral and Mrs. Carter themselves were exhaustively interrogated, but authorities were confident that they didn't have any involvement in Catherine's disappearance. That, however, did not completely satisfy the public and the media. I hate to think about what that poor couple had to go through. In the past ten years or so, the search has gained worldwide interest, following a series of possible sightings abroad, some in countries as far away as Italy and Russia.

Local child abduction investigation experts theorized that Catherine was probably sold to an overseas family, through the black market. They said that the next most probable possibility was that the child was murdered and her remains disposed of, which is why the Carters went through the interrogation that they did. I knew Admiral Carter and his wife through Navy business. I did not, at any point in time, think that it was possible that they could have done such a thing to their only child. They were absolutely distraught and never went on to have any more children after Catherine. Anyway, the foreign eyewitness accounts did prove to be quite a significant lead, although the possible abduction victim in each case was never successfully traced."

At this, the Admiral opened the case file and took out several documents, handing them to Harm and Mac, who looked through them.

Most of them seemed to be odd photos, some of little or young blond haired girls along with eyewitness accounts, or various age progression photos, some of which bore a resemblance to the photos. They all seemed to have come from a number of different countries and were dated from between 1986 and 1993. However, the last one was a Russian publicity poster, dated 1988, advertising the ballet "Copellia", a sketched picture on the front showing a lone dancer standing en pointe, dressed in a beautifully intricate costume, her hair pulled back into a pompadour of cascading, blond curls. The Admiral carried on,

"Then, two weeks ago, a Navy SWAT team raided a house in Northern Cameroon, acting on information that the occupants were about to sell a batch of nuclear weapons to an American buyer. However, they found a sixteen year old girl on the property."

Now, the Admiral changed the tape in the VCR and pressed play. Harm and Mac saw that the next film clip was a recording of the SWAT team operation. They watched as the SWAT team kicked in the door of a house, ordered the occupants down on the floor and proceeded to search through the house. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary until one of the SWAT team members opened a cellar door and peered in. Harm and Mac were not able to catch what was being said after that, but got the impression that something was not quite right. After a couple of minutes of intense discussion, one of the SWAT team members jumped down into the basement and the cameraman came forward for a look. The big blue eyes of a young girl came into focus as a light was shone down into the cellar.

The team member beside her proceeded to try and talk to the young girl, eventually gaining her confidence before he lifted her from the floor. Harm and Mac could see that the cellar was flooded and that the team member was standing in several inches of water. The cameraman now moved back as the young girl was passed up to the waiting SWAT team. Her clothes were filthy and soaked and Harm and Mac winced as they saw that she was covered in bruises and open sores. Dried blood was caked along the neck of her blouse, suggesting that she had sustained a severe beating. Her swollen nose and bruised eyes were supporting evidence of that, Harm and Mac noticed. It appeared that she had probably not been fed often in the time she had been held captive, for, as she was hauled of the basement by a couple of SWAT team members and without much difficulty, Harm and Mac could see her skinny, bony shoulder joints and her ribs, as her sleeveless blouse rode up. As she sat on the floor, shivering from a mixture of cold, exhaustion and fear, the SWAT team leader tried to reassure her. It appeared that she either didn't understand English or was too frightened to talk, but presently perked to attention as one of the SWAT team members tried talking to her in French, one of the commonly spoken languages in the area. They managed to get some information from the girl, who was still hesitant to talk to them. Harm and Mac were not able to understand what was going on, so the Admiral chose to continue with his commentary.

"When they checked the database of missing people, the girl turned out to be one Catriona Kinney, who had gone missing from her foster home in Sokoto, Nigeria, more than three weeks before. However, upon questioning, one of the suspects referred to her as Catherine Carter, which was confirmed by a set of fingerprint comparisons. We have been having some problems with Russian Governmental officials, who insist that, as Miss Carter was previously settled in Russia, she is a Russian citizen. However, as of yesterday, a Nigerian court ruling states that she is a US citizen and is to be returned to the States, to be reunited with her parents. Russian officials will be in Nigeria to watch over the removal of Catherine, or should I say Catriona, from her foster home. You, Commander and you, Major, will be collecting her from her foster home and returning her to her parents, Admiral and Mrs. Carter. Harm and Mac looked back to the video recording, which now filmed the bedraggled, soaked young girl being wrapped in a warm blanket by one of the SWAT team members. Her long hair hung soaking wet, down towards the floor as the SWAT team member hoisted her easily into his arms and carried her to the vehicle parked outside. Just before the videotape finished, the team member operating the camera approached the young girl and asked her in French,

"Comment tu t'appelle?"

Harm and Mac saw the translation at the bottom of the screen reading, "What is your name?"

At this, the young girl spoke up, in a shaky voice, "Je m'appelle Catriona."

"My name is Catriona."

At his, Harm spoke up, "But, Sir? Does the girl not recall her former identity?"

"She has no recollection of her life before the abduction. All she was able to tell the local authorities was that her name was Catriona Kinney and that she was an orphan. She had no idea where she was originally from, only that she had been moved around all of her life. The first place she can recollect being is Portugal. She doesn't remember anything about her biological parents, Admiral and Mrs. Carter."

Harm and Mac paused to think how sad this fact was, but the Admiral quickly brought them back to the task at hand, emphasizing to them, "We will be watched very closely on this one, you two. One wrong move and we'll have Russian officials crawling all over us."

"Aye, aye, Sir," Harm and Mac responded simultaneously, standing and saluting the Admiral, who then dismissed them. Just as they were about to leave, the Admiral added, "I'm sure, Major MacKenzie, with your knowledge of the Russian language and your ability to keep Rabb's six out of the line of fire that this case will go without a hitch."

A smug Sarah MacKenzie answered, "Yes, Sir," while exchanging a look with Harm. With that, both officers walked out towards the Admirals outer office to collect their flight information from Tiner.

OOOO

Part 2 will follow immediately.


	2. Chapter 2

AN: Forgot to say in part 1, the SP series was my first ever JAG fanfiction, so please keep this in mind and try not to be too harsh when reviewing. Thanks!

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 2

1655 Local

Sunset Safari Park,

Sokoto, Nigeria.

Harm and Mac stepped from the off-road jeep and stretched their legs and looking towards the large farmhouse, they saw a woman in her early thirties emerge through the front screen door. As they walked to the steps of the front porch, Mac noted her khaki shorts and shirt with long, rolled up sleeves and couldn't help but think that she looked like she was straight out of the movie, "Born Free."

"Hi," the woman greeted them, "I'm Emilie, Catriona's foster mother."

"I'm Lieutenant Commander Harmon Rabb and this is my partner, Major Sarah MacKenzie. We're both from the US military's JAG, that is the Judge Advocate General Corps…"

"Yes," Emilie cut in, trying to keep Harm from explaining what he didn't have to, "I was informed of the court's decision and exactly what is going to take place. I've also been told that Russian officials will be arriving later this evening, to oversee the, uh…procedure."

At this moment, Mac spoke up.

"Yes, Ma'am, the Russian and the American authorities are working together closely on this case. It seems that Miss Carter became a Russian citizen nine years ago. Was that just before she was brought to Nigeria?"

"Yes, Catriona has been living here for just over two years, now. She lived in Russia for just under seven years, from the age of six."

"Was that in foster care, as well?" Harm asked.

"Not in foster care, no. She was put in a home for orphaned children, run by Christian Aid, in Grozny."

Emilie showed Harm and Mac to their rooms, seeing as it would be impossible for them to cross through the park this late in the day. It was at least an eight-hour journey before they would make it to the only commercial local airport. Also, the next flight back, which connected to Dulles, wouldn't be for another few days, so they would set off early in the morning, in a few days time. Emilie excused herself and left Harm and Mac to get settled in. As Mac took in the view from the window opposite her bed, she realized that she would enjoy her short stay at the safari park. Usually, Mac wanted to get the job over and done with, so that she could get back home, especially if she happened to be aboard a particular Navy submarine. Mac suppressed a shudder as she recalled her and Harm's last assignment aboard the USS Watertown. However, Mac was glad of the break that she and Harm would get, after all of the stress that they had been through, lately. She certainly didn't want to cross the park after nightfall and end up as munchies for wild animals. Mac quickly changed out of her uniform and headed to Harm's room, where she knocked on the door, waiting for permission to enter. At Harm's reply, she opened the door and looked in to see that he had also changed into civvies, a pair of jeans, coupled with a white, v-necked tee shirt. As Mac made her way over to the window, she absently noted that the single bed was pushed up to the wall that joined their rooms, as was hers. After a moment, Harm asked her, "Do you want to go through and talk to Emilie? Perhaps we can get her to tell us a bit more about Catriona." Mac nodded to him. As they made their way through to the living room, Harm and Mac paused to look into another bedroom that was empty, apart from the usual furniture and a large, black trunk. Just then, Emilie approached them from the direction of the kitchen and told them, "That's Catriona's room. All of her belongings are packed up to go, but I'm afraid that she isn't around, right now."

As she spoke, they walked through the house and out to the front porch, where they sat down to continue talking. It was then that Harm and Mac noticed that a troop of Russian officials had set up tents in the front yard.

"They just arrived," Emilie told them. She continued, "I offered them rooms in the house, but they declined."

Seeing their confusion, she explained to them, "Catriona's room is the only dormitory room occupied at the moment, as there are no other children staying with us. Usually, we are so overrun that some go to sleep outback in the barn, instead of being cramped into the rooms in the house. They love it, they have more space and it is just like camping out! Just before Catriona went missing, though, we were able to put all of our other children into permanent homes. It's just Catriona and I here, now."

Harm and Mac have both noted the unusual way that Emilie said Catriona's name and could not decide whether it was just Emilie's accent, so decided to confirm just how it was pronounced.

"At first, my partner and I thought that Miss Carter's name was pronounced, 'Cat-tree-own-a.' But that isn't correct, is it?" Mac questioned Emilie.

"Oh, Catriona won't mind how you say her name," the woman assured them, "She lived with us for a month, with us all saying her name wrongly before she corrected us! But the correct pronunciation is 'Cat-tree-unna.' There isn't such emphasis on the 'triona' part. It's said very quickly. She told me that it is originally of Gaelic origin. I don't know when she was renamed, from a very early age, I suppose. Young children are very adaptable. She told me that one of her captors called her by the name because she reminded him of his youngest sister, who had passed away tragically at a very young age. She said he was the only one who never threatened her or hit her. The others were all very cruel to her."

"That must have been a terrible way to live," Harm surmised.

"Yes, I'm sure it was, but she is always very nonchalant about it," Emilie reflected, "She is a strong girl, always brushes anything off, no matter whether it is about the terrible life she has led, ever since she can remember or whether it is someone saying her name wrong."

"I'm sure that we'll all get on better if we know how to say her name correctly," Harm decided.

"I think it is her way of dealing with things," Emilie told them, "She does not often confide in anyone, but locks it all away inside herself. It often worries me."

After a while, both Harm and Mac could tell that it would not be long until nightfall and started to worry about Catriona, who still hadn't made an appearance. When Harm voiced this fear to Emilie, she replied, "I'm sure that she will be home in just a while. She knows that I have strict orders to be home in time for dinner. I will admit, she didn't take the news of the court ruling too well. I'll bet she's out on the grasslands."

Not missing Harm and Mac's worried expressions, she continued, "There's an elephant herd that roams around the area. We recently introduced a young male elephant into the group, whom we raised on the compound. He and Catriona are inseparable and if the herd is ever close to the compound, she stays around with them."

"The other elephants accept her?" Mac exclaimed, surprised.

"Yes," Emilie told them, "she seems to have a way with them, for they treat her as if she were just another herd member. She's what I like to call 'a free spirit'!"

After a minute, Emilie excused herself to begin making the dinner.

Mac got up to walk around to the back porch. The last few weeks had been hard for both she and Harm, but neither of them had been able to mention the fact that they had come so close to losing one another. Mac knew that Harm had to be struggling to come to terms with the fact that she had almost died, after having her breathing cut off by a shipman's stranglehold and that he had been powerless to stop him. Mac was so wrapped up in her thoughts that she did not hear Harm approach behind her and she jumped violently as he touched her shoulder.

"Sorry," Harm apologized, sheepishly. Mac gave him a forgiving smile, more embarrassed at her overreaction than anything else. She turned away from him so he wouldn't see the redness that was creeping into her cheeks and focused her eyes on the low sun on the horizon. Harm could clearly see that Mac was hurting and he knew why, but so far, he couldn't get her to talk about it to him. Again, Harm tried to get her attention.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

OOOO


	3. Chapter 3

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 3

Mac struggled to find an excuse for having her head in the clouds.

"Oh, I don't think they'd be worth even that much," she dismissed, lamely. But Harm wasn't about to let it go that easily.

"No, really Mac, what were you thinking about?"

Just as she was about to admit to her loss for words, their attention was attracted to a rustling sound, coming from a nearby tree.

"Harm, what's that hanging from the branches?" asked Mac.

"That's what the locals call 'biltong', a bit like beef jerky," Harm told her, "Stay here, it might be a wild animal, attracted to the scent of meat."

Harm cautiously made his way to the tree, pausing at the base to peer up into the branches, his weapon poised in case he needed to use it.

His eyes were met by those of a blue-eyed, well-tanned teenager, who was busy trying to cut strips off the large rack of tough meat. She must have realized who he was, because after placing her pocketknife securely between her teeth, she leaned backwards, going from a sitting position into a knee hang, then released her knees, bringing her legs around to land steadily on her feet. Harm stood frozen, a bit shocked as the girl took the knife from her teeth. As a precautionary measure, he took a couple of steps back, reassuring her, "Hey, it's okay…"

Even as he did so, the young girl immediately pocketed the knife and Harm realized that she hadn't actually posed a threat.

However, the young girl obviously didn't think the same about him, for as soon as he extended his hand, in a gesture of friendship, she took off like a jackrabbit, tearing towards the front driveway.

"Mac! Go get Emilie!" Harm yelled as he took off after the girl. Mac ran to the front door, where Emilie appeared, attracted by the palaver.

"Come," she told Mac, "we'll take the jeep, I think I know where she is going."

Meanwhile, Catriona had a big lead over Harm, who was stumbling clumsily over the sparse clumps of grass and the uneven ground. It was obvious to Harm that she knew the terrain well, as she seemed to glide between the rock and stones and over the uneven ground effortlessly. Suddenly, she disappeared into some tall grass and Harm stopped, out of breath and unsure of how to proceed. At that moment, a Russian soldier pulled up in a jeep, followed by Emilie and Mac in another jeep. Shining a strong flashlight, the Russian soldier proceeded into the tall grass and Harm, Mac and Emilie followed behind him. They had barely been in the grass but a minute, when they were all startled by an enormous trumpeting and confronted by a large bull elephant, its long white tusks poised menacingly. The Russian soldier dropped his torch in fright, but retrieved it, never taking his eyes off the elephant.

"It's okay," Emile reassured the group, " that's just Alexei. We just startled him, that's all."

Harm and Mac simultaneously let go of the breath they had been holding. Harm laughed and exclaimed, "We startled him?"

However, the soldier kept his stance and began to raise his riffle.

OOOO


	4. Chapter 4

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 4

As the soldier took aim, ready to fire, Catriona came running out of the surrounding grass and placed herself between the elephant and the riffle, effectively shielding him. Instinctively, Alexei took a few steps forward and wound his trunk tightly around Catriona's waist, trying to move her out of harm's way. Catriona pleaded with the soldier in Russian, "Please don't shoot. He is harmless!"

"Corporal, lower that weapon, now," Mac ordered the man in Russian.

Still not convinced, the soldier made no move to comply.

Catriona continued, "Please don't shoot him, he's all I have."

Reluctantly, the soldier lowered his riffle and backed off. Emile immediately strode forward and began to scold Catriona in what Harm and Mac took to be French. They climbed back into the jeep and Emilie joined them, telling them that Catriona would make the journey back on foot. They could all see that Alexei still had his trunk firmly wrapped around Catriona's middle and that he was pretty much carrying her around. She was trying to calm him down enough to let her go, with soft, comforting words, in a language that neither Harm nor Mac could decipher, but which sounded like perhaps one of the many tribal languages that were spoken in the area. On the journey back, Emilie explained to Harm and Mac how she had been brought to Nigeria by her French native parents, 20 years before and had learned English from the missionaries who ran the school where she was educated. When she had left school, she had studied Veterinary Science and returned to Nigeria to work at the safari park that had been run by her Uncle, until he had passed away a few years later. After that, she explained, she had become a foster parent and the Nigerian Social Services had filled up her big farmhouse with children, who all helped out in the park, many of them aspiring to grow up to hold positions like hers at wildlife sanctuaries and safari parks throughout Africa.

Not long after they had arrived back at the compound, Catriona strolled into the front yard, clutching Alexei's trunk in her hand.

Emilie went to Catriona, reminding her in English, "I want to see you at that table in an hour, washed and ready for dinner. Comprenez?"

The girl nodded, then walked around to the water collection tank at the side of the house, with Alexei in tow. Emilie again joined Harm and Mac on the porch and explained to them, "I'm afraid we don't have any running hot water in the house but there is a water collection tank around that side of the house. Also, during the day, it will be safe to go down to the nearby stream. We usually bathe and wash our clothes down there, early in the morning.

"That sounds like a wonderful way to wake yourself up in the morning," Mac commented as Emilie returned to the house, to continue with the dinner preparations. Harm and Mac moved down to the porch steps to watch the disappearing sun and discuss the night's excitement. Just then, they heard peals of laughter coming from the side of the house, where Catriona and Alexei were washing up. They stood up and peered round, to see Catriona, fully clothed, backed up against the wall, being sprayed with water by Alexei. Harm and Mac joined in the laughter, but fell silent when Emilie stuck her head out of the kitchen window to reprimand the two mischief-makers.

"Catriona, ça suffit!"

The two immediately ceased their antics as Emilie closed the window, exclaiming, "Petits singes!"

Mac turned to Harm, who was still watching the partners in crime.

"Harm, do you really think that we're doing the right thing here?"

At his questioning look, she continued, "I know that they're her parents, but she hasn't seen them since she was two years old. It's…it's just that she seems so…so settled here…"

"I know, Mac," Harm replied, "I've been thinking exactly the same thing, but it's just not our call to make."

"Yeah, I guess you're right. I just hope that she settles well, when we hand her back to her parents," Mac concluded.

Both officers sat in silence, trying to think of what to say next, both unsure of how to start talking about the subject that had often been avoided, lately. They both watched as a Russian soldier emerged from one of the several one-man tents pitched on the compound. The soldier dragged behind him a sleeping bag, which he grabbed by the corners and shook violently, to dislodge any dirt, which might be trapped inside it. However, what he dislodged was substantially bigger than mere dirt. The large, sleepy black cobra reared up, facing the soldier, angry that its sleep had been disturbed. In an instant, Catriona had sprinted across the yard and was behind the snake, clapping her hands and stamping her feet to divert its attention. Harm and Mac barely had a chance to get to their feet before the snake turned and lunged at the girl. Without a second thought, Catriona jumped high into the air, over the snake, keeping her legs out of reach of its fangs. She landed skillfully on the other side of the snake and before it knew what had happened, Catriona had grabbed its tail and killed it with one painless whip.

She coiled up the dead snake and turning to the speechless soldier, placed it in his arms.

"There you go," she told him in Russian, "How about sampling some of the local cuisine?"

She walked back calmly into the house to change out of her wet clothes, leaving an astonished Harm and Mac in her wake. After an uneventful dinner, Harm and Mac sat out on the front porch, where they watched Catriona show the Russian group how to roast snake meat, Dziwala and Nkululu (traditional bush-cuisine) over an open fire. Catriona approached Harm and Mac later on and offered them a sample of the fine meal she had prepared. Mac declined, telling the girl, "Sorry, I couldn't eat another bite. But that sure does look…interesting!"

Catriona laughed good-naturedly and replied, "That's what they all say! What's wrong, are you vegetarian?"

Mac just scoffed and said, "No way! But Harm is."

"How about it, Commander? I can understand the snake, but why don't you try the Dziwala or the Nkululu? They're just insects."

"No offense, but even so, I don't eat bugs!" Harm opted out.

Catriona just grinned as she popped one of the insects into her mouth.

"Mmm, tastes like chicken! You sure? They're high in protein!"

Harm and Mac just laughed as they shook their heads, getting up to go to their rooms. Catriona went back into the yard to join the Russian soldiers around the fire. After retiring to their rooms, Harm and Mac fell asleep to the chirping of the locust outside, each one's thoughts on the person on the other side of the wall.

OOOO


	5. Chapter 5

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 5

Harm woke up early, before the sun had risen the next day. After changing into a fresh set of clothes, he went to the door of Mac's room, knocking to see if she was awake. Upon getting no answer, he waited a second before putting his head round the door. Mac was still asleep in bed, looking so peaceful that Harm didn't have the heart to wake her. He knew that, as it was, Mac suffered from insomnia but after the happenings of the last few weeks, she was no doubt losing what little sleep she did usually manage to get. He proceeded to the living room, not wanting to wake anyone this early. He passed Catriona's bedroom and saw, as the door was wide open, that she was already gone, her bed neatly made. Harm decided to head out to the porch to watch the sun rise. He was mildly surprised to see Emilie in the front yard, who was arriving home after her early morning trip to the ranger's station. Greeting him, she apologized, "I'm sorry, we tend to rise early here. I didn't wake you, did I?"

"Oh, no. I was dead to the world, so I didn't hear a thing," Harm replied.

He noticed that there were no signs of life coming from the tents either, so Emilie couldn't have been all that loud. After a while, Mac emerged from the front screen door, looking very much refreshed and without the telltale dark circles underneath her eyes, like she'd had for the past few days.

Hey partner!" she greeted Harm, "Why didn't you wake me?"

"Oh, I just thought I'd let you sleep in for a while. You still made it in time to see the sun rise."

They watched in silence as a myriad of colors spread across the sky, like a watercolor painting. They then ate breakfast as Emilie sorted out a bundle of clothes to be washed.

"So I see that Catriona's already up and at 'em," Harm commented to Emilie, "Her bed's already made. She's got to be the first kid I've seen do that, in a long time. Well, apart from the ones in military school!"

"That's because she didn't bother to sleep in it, last night," Emilie revealed, "She must have snuck out to find Alexei, after I went to bed. She very often sleeps out on the grasslands with the herd. Sometimes, I think that there is the spirit of a monkey in that girl's body!"

Harm and Mac chuckled a bit at this.

Emilie continued, "If you two want to get together any clothes that need washing, we can bring them down to the river. Catriona might be down there, the whole herd likes to bathe there before the sun gets too strong." So once the breakfast dishes had been put away, Harm and Mac gathered their gear together and followed Emilie down to the nearby river. It was more or less deserted down there, no elephants or other wild animals in sight, no Catriona either.

"Maybe the elephants have moved out of the area," Emilie suggested.

All three went about washing the dirty laundry they had accumulated, before laying it over rocks to dry in the fierce sunlight. An addition to the group was indicated by the quiet scuff of hiking boots on the riverside stones and Catriona walked over to where Harm, Mac and Emilie were sitting. Emilie muttered a sentence or two in French, which Harm and Mac assumed must be addressing Catriona's absence from the compound that morning. Catriona just shrugged her shoulders, then proceeded to climb across a fallen tree out towards the middle, deeper part of the river. As she sat down and dangled her feet over the water, she took off her tan colored, cowboy-style hat and removed her boots, tossing them onto the bank.

"No friends with you this morning?" Harm asked her.

"Nah, they've headed further out onto the grasslands, this morning. They probably won't be back 'til later tonight."

Standing up, Catriona edged closer to the edge of the tree, her back facing the water and her arms straight out in front of her. In one swift move, she bent down and brought her arms down by her side, her knees bent, only to swing her arms back up again and straighten her legs, propelling herself backwards, completing a backwards somersault before landing with a splash in the water. She disappeared from view for a few seconds, before popping up but disappearing back under again.

"She'll be in those clothes all day, now, after rinsing them through," Emilie told them, disapprovingly, "They're hardly ever off her back. Always a shirt and shorts she wears, never a nice skirt or anything. Not even when we go out! If it was not for her long hair, I think everyone would mistake her for a little boy!"

"The water does look inviting," Harm noted.

"Well, I'll just leave you three alone to take a dip. I've got a couple of things I need to get sorted back at the ranger's station. I'll take the wet clothes and hang them out to dry in the yard. You won't have any trouble finding your way back, will you?

"I don't think so," Mac told her, "We should be fine getting back."

"It is just straight up that pathway, there. Catriona will be glad to walk you back, if you think you'll need some help."

At this, Catriona nodded her assurance to Emilie from her perch atop a large mound of rocks behind Harm and Mac.

"I'll see you in a short while, then."

With that, Emilie left Harm and Mac with the ideal opportunity to get to know Catriona.

Figuring that Catriona might be a little more comfortable speaking in Russian, Mac turned to the girl and said, "Emilie told us that you lived in Russia before you came to Nigeria."

"That's right," Catriona replied, as she reached up to unpin her hair. Harm and Mac saw that when she uncoiled it from the top of her head, it fell right down her back in a braid, which she undid to allow her long, soft curls to dry in the sun.

She continued in English, "I lived in and around Grozny for seven years."

"Where did you live before you moved to Russia?"

"Iran," she told them.

"Really?" Mac exclaimed, "Did you learn any of the language?"

"Mac can speak Farsi," Harm revealed to Catriona.

Switching from English to Farsi, Catriona replied, "I was only there for a year, but I learned enough to get by."

Harm looked at Mac, raising his eyebrows in an expression that showed he was impressed.

"Wow, so you can speak English, French, Farsi and…what was that language I heard you speaking to Alexei in?"

"That was Swahili, but I'm not quite fluent, yet."

Harm and Mac just looked on, with amazed expressions.

"It comes from moving around so much. Ever since I can remember, I've never been left alone for long. Every time I got comfortable, the same group of men came and took me somewhere new."

Seeing the sympathetic looks on Harm and Mac's faces, she dismissed, "I never knew any different, though, I just thought it was normal. The first place I can remember being is Portugal, when I was about three. That was my first year at nursery school, where I was taught Portuguese. I think I was there for a year, because my next year at a new nursery, I was taught Spanish. I was in Spain for a year then I was moved to Italy, where I spent my first year of school. I was there for less than a year then I was moved to Iran. When I was moved to Russia, I was placed in an orphanage and my captors seemed to leave me alone after that. So, when I was eight, I took up dancing. One of the nuns at the orphanage saw me dancing and enrolled me in a school of dance, a couple of days a week, on a scholarship program. I wanted to join the Imperial Ballet, but I must have been attracting too much attention, because I was taken away again. I only ever got to dance the lead in one of the school's productions, 'Copellia.'

Harm and Mac watched the sparkle fade from Catriona's eyes as she recalled how the kidnappers had taken her again, not even allowing her to say goodbye to her friends.

"After that, I learned not to get too attached, to expect things to get taken away from me. My abductors thought it was funny to give me something then snatch it away again. If it seemed too good to be true, it usually was."

Harm and Mac did not get the chance to reply, interrupted by the arrival of Alexei, who had come to find Catriona and bathe in the river. Catriona continued, "Of course, then I met Alexei. I don't know what I'd have done without him. He's my tzarevich, my prince!"

Catriona climbed atop the big, gentle elephant Alexei, who waded out into the deep part of the river, where he began to spray her and himself with water, as Catriona scrubbed him down. Mac decided to take her shoes off and wade in the shallow water. After a minute, Harm joined her.

"I'd be careful, those rocks can be kind of slippery," Catriona told them in warning, just before Mac started to lose her balance. Harm immediately stepped forward to steady her, wisecracking, "Well, you know Marines aren't really known for their grace and agility. Say, perhaps you could give her a couple of lessons, Catriona?"

Catriona quickly quipped back, "Well, I really got the impression that you had the poise of Mikhail Barishnikov, when you were stumbling after me over the tundra last night!"

Mac laughed out loud at this and told Catriona, "Yeah Catriona, you tell him!"

"I might have known that the females would gang up on me," Harm mumbled to himself, but in hearing of Mac and Catriona, "This is just like being back in D.C!"

"So, I take it you aren't in the Marine Corps yourself." Catriona observed.

"No, I'm in the Navy," Harm told her.

"Hmm, I've never met anyone in the US Marine Corps before," Catriona mused, "or the US Navy."

She suddenly noticed the incongruity of that statement, then amended, blushing, "Well, not recently."

Harm just changed the subject, noticing that Catriona was uncomfortable about the subject of her parents.

By this point, Catriona had climbed onto a riverside rock in the sun and Mac joined her, as Harm waded in the shallows pools, watching as Alexei still splashed about in the middle of the river. Catriona and Mac started up a conversation, switching between Russian and Farsi at a rate that would make the ordinary mind spin.

Occasionally, they would look over at Harm, grinning.

"Okay," Harm finally conceded, "What are you two talking about, over there?"

"Just girl talk, sailor," Mac teased him, not betraying the bond she was beginning to form, with the young girl beside her. Catriona's pessimistic attitude reminded her a lot of herself at that age. Also, she could see that Catriona was a lot sharper than she portrayed herself to be, interpreting every look and glance that passed between Harm and Mac. Catriona persisted to interrogate Mac.

"Seriously," she asked Mac in Russian, "Emilie told me that you guys are partners at the JAG Corps, but what I want to know is if, maybe, you are partners at work and outside too..."

Mac chose to interrupt the girl at this point, to put her straight, "No, Harm and I are friends outside of work, but other than that, there's nothing more between us."

Catriona persisted, " But you wish there was more, don't you? Trust me, I can see the way you and Harm look at each other. You don't even have to utter a word to tell him what you are thinking and it works the other way round, too."

Mac was saved from finding an answer by the mischievous Alexei, who had decided that Catriona had ignored him for long enough. He blasted a trunk full of water in her direction, also soaking Mac in the process. This cracked Harm up, who then got soaked for not paying attention to what Alexei was doing. This started Mac and Catriona off laughing and triggered a full out water fight, from which all members emerged completely drenched. As Alexei began to wander off, Catriona asked Harm and Mac, "How would you like to go on a hike? If we follow Alexei, we might come across the rest of the herd."

Harm and Mac agreed and so the group set off, bantering amiably between themselves as they followed behind Alexei. The group walked out onto the open savanna, watching Alexei wander off into the distance to join the herd, which was gathered around a watering hole. The three then returned to the compound, where Catriona set out lunch, ready for Emilie's return to the house. Before long, Emilie pulled up in the drive in her jeep, but seemed to have an emergency to deal with, moving straight to the radio set in one of the front rooms. Joining them outside on the front porch, she apologized to Harm and Mac, "I'm sorry, I'm afraid I won't be able to join you for lunch today. An emergency has cropped up on the western border of the park. Please continue with your meal and feel free to help yourself to anything else in the kitchen."

Mac assured Emilie that she and Harm had plenty to occupy themselves with, while she was gone.

"I'll have to borrow Catriona from you both, too, for just a while," she added.

Turning, Emilie shot Catriona a look, to which the girl asked, "Poachers?"

Emilie nodded her head grimly. Catriona bid Harm and Mac farewell, before running into the house and retrieving a hunting riffle. She loaded it on the porch and turned back to Emilie. After Emilie had given her a set of instructions in French, Catriona gave her a quick hug, each telling the other, "Keep safe."

With that, Catriona set off at a sprint, in the direction that they had last seen the herd heading in.

"She's not going to be in any danger, is she?" Mac asked, uncomfortably.

"Not her, no. The poachers will be, if they go anywhere near those elephants, she'll see to that. But that's why she took the riffle with her, just in case. She knows how to use it very well."

Emilie then went on to explain, "Catriona's going to bring the herd in closer to the compound. We've had reports of a large gang of poachers, moving in from the west." Emilie continued to tell them how she and several park rangers were going to try and intercept the poachers, before they could harm any more of the local wildlife. "You can bet they're after ivory. Ever since ivory was taken off the list of banned trade, poaching in the park has exploded. Alexei's mother was killed a couple of years ago by poachers and he was discovered by the local ranger's authority, curled up to his Mother's massacred body. That's when he was brought here. I hope I won't be gone too long, but I really can't tell at the moment."

"Oh, don't worry, really. Mac and I have got reports to write up for our Commanding Officer." Harm assured her. After bidding them goodbye, Emilie got into her jeep and sped off to the ranger's station.

OOOO


	6. Chapter 6

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 6

By the time that Emilie returned, Harm and Mac had finished their preliminary report and had struck up a conversation with a Russian soldier who knew a bit of English.

"How did it go?" Mac asked her.

"We did manage to arrest them on possession of weapons within a protected area. However, I don't think that that we'll be able to prosecute them, since they weren't in possession of any endangered species. They'll be escorted out of the park and be taken into custody by the local authorities."

Catriona returned to the compound at sunset with the entire elephant herd in tow. Harm and Mac noticed that many of them sported old battle scars, no doubt courtesy of such poachers. The others they reasoned had probably been orphaned by the actions of poachers. But Harm and Mac both knew that these were the lucky few, they had escaped. Catriona jumped down from Alexei's back, leaving him and the rest of the herd to scatter over the land around the compound. That night, dinner was eaten in relaxed silence, as each one of them contemplated the impending events of the next day.

OOOO

At 0600 the next day, Harm and Mac were up, dressed and packed, then walked out onto the front porch to find Emilie already up and sitting on a large black trunk, which they assumed held Catriona's belongings.

"She's just saying goodbye to Alexei," Emilie informed them, pointing to the driveway, where the elephant was lying on his side, Catriona lying on his up-facing side, both enjoying a last cuddle.

Catriona had her eyes closed savoring the moment and Alexei's trunk was caressing the side of her face. Catriona was singing softly to the elephant, in a language that Harm guessed was Swahili.

The Russian troops had already packed up their camp and they helped Harm load his and Mac's belongings and Catriona's trunk into one of the jeeps.

A Russian soldier approached Mac and told her, "I believe we should be going now, Major."

She replied, "Just give her a few more minutes to say goodbye."

After a minute or two, Catriona rose, patted the great elephant then walked over to Emilie, who gave her a long hug and a few words of encouragement in French. Catriona then walked unsurely over to Harm and Mac, who each placed a reassuring hand on each of her shoulders and she climbed into the waiting jeep. Harm and Mac then went over to Emilie and thanked her for her hospitality,

"Don't worry, Ma'am," they both told her, "We'll take good care of her until we get her to the Carters."

With her thanks, they both climbed into the jeep, which pulled away behind the rest of the convoy of Russian jeeps.

OOOO


	7. Chapter 7

See part 1 for disclaimer…

Part 7

After a long flight into Dulles International Airport, Harm and Mac made their way to the baggage claim with a sleepy, cranky Catriona in tow, where they were met by Clayton Webb. While Harm and Mac loaded Catriona's trunk onto a trolley, Clay introduced himself to her.

"If you'll just follow me, Miss Carter, I'll show you to the car that will bring us to your parent's house."

"Mr. Webb, my name is Catriona Kinney," she corrected him.

Webb just looked questioningly at Harm and Mac.

"You heard her, Mr. Webb!" Harm ribbed him. Mac took Clay aside.

"So Catriona's parents didn't come to the airport to meet her?" She asked him, quietly, surprised to say the least.

"Oh, they would have loved to come, but the family liaison officer thought it was best if they didn't. He thought that it might stress her out, all of the sudden change and all. I mean more than she already is, of course," he chuckled, as he looked down at Catriona, who had grabbed Harm's hand in anxiety. However, as her grip tightened and dug into his hand further, Harm looked up ahead of them to see what had alarmed her so. Just beyond the checkpoint, they all saw a crowd of press reporters, all causing quite a commotion as they clambered to get the first photos of the long-lost child of the Carter dynasty.

"Webb!" Harm exclaimed, exasperated, "did you let anyone know we'd be arriving on this flight? This was supposed to be kept strictly secret!"

"Honestly Rabb, I didn't tell anyone. These reporters weren't here when I arrived," Clay replied, truthfully. He went to continue towards the checkpoint, but Harm found that Catriona was frozen in place. No amount of persuasion could convince her to move, which in turn sent the press wild and caused Catriona to dissolve into hysterical tears. Violent flashbacks ripped through her mind, reminding her of the terrible, long-forgotten day that she had been taken from the supermarket shopping cart and the abuse and threats that she had received from her abductor, over the past fourteen years.

Eventually, Harm had to lift the young girl into his arms and wade through the sea of reporters outside the arrivals gate. He didn't stop until he reached the official car outside the terminal, letting Mac climb in first then lowering Catriona in beside her, before he and Clay got in themselves. The car pulled away, heading toward the Carter household. During the trip, Harm and Mac managed to calm Catriona down, while Clay contacted the Carters.

"Yes, Sir, I've got Catherine here, safe and sound. I'm afraid we had a bit of trouble from the press, but everything's fine, now. We shouldn't be too long," he told the person on the other side of the line. He paused as he listened to something being said, then replied, "Yes, Sir, of course. I'd almost forgotten about that."

After hanging up, he proceeded to remove a bunch of photographs from his briefcase. Clay continued to show the photographs, a bunch of family snapshots, to Catriona, Harm and Mac.

"Your Mom and Dad asked me to give you a bit of background information on your new family and home, so you'll know what to expect, once we get there," he explained.

He finished showing them the photos of the Carters, their house, family and the bedroom that they had prepared for her, once they had learned that their only child was finally coming home. Catriona sat silently, in between Harm and Mac, not uttering a single word as Mac held her hand, comfortingly. As they pulled up to a large, white house, they saw a couple in their late forties to early fifties standing at the doorstep. As Harm got out of the car and helped Catriona and Mac out after him, Mac could see the young girl starting to get panicky again, so she took her aside and offered some words of reassurance, in Russian, while Harm and Clay went over to greet the Carters.

"The Carters are great people," she told Catriona, "they've been waiting so long for this day."

Catriona replied, "I know, but I just don't see what it is that I'm supposed to feel!"

"They're your parents, they won't push you to feel anything. They'll love you unconditionally."

"That still doesn't change the fact that I don't even know them. They may be my parents, but they're still strangers to me."

Mac smiled understandingly and took a card out of her bag.

"Anytime that you feel like you need to talk, you can reach me at that number. It's a cell phone number, so you can get hold of me at any time. Just remember to check with your parents first!"

Catriona nodded, trying to get used to the term 'your parents.' Mac then walked Catriona over to where Harm and Clay stood with Admiral and Mrs. Carter. The couple introduced themselves to Catriona and the woman began to tell her about her new room.

"We're so glad you've come to live with us. We never thought we'd see this day. It all seems like a dream. We just never thought we'd see it happening."

Turning to Harm and Mac, she continued, "Thank you so much for bringing her home to us."

"It was our pleasure, Ma'am," Harm told them, "she's a great young lady."

After a couple of minutes, Webb approached them.

"Come on, you two. We'd better get going. I think that Catriona's going to settle in perfectly, here!"

With a reassuring smile and a squeeze of the girl's hand, Harm and Mac bid her and the Carters goodbye and turned to return to the car. Glancing back, Mac could see that Catriona looked slightly bewildered, so she mouthed to her, "Phone me!"

Catriona nodded silently, with a slight smile to let the two officers know that she'd be okay.

After they got back into the car, Harm and Mac turned to see the Carters ushering Catriona into the house. The girl paused to look back over her shoulder at the retreating car, locking eyes with Harm and Mac, until their link was obstructed as the car turned a corner and entered back into the rush hour traffic.

OOOO

Part 1 of SP 2: Things Fall Apart will follow shortly…


End file.
